Ten tricks to get the most out of WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger is very popular around the world with over 1 billion active users. Most of us use it on a daily basis to connect with our friends, family, acquaintances (and probably businesses soon).

While you may use it every day, there are a number of WhatsApp features that not everyone knows about. In this article, I will be talking about some such cool WhatsApp features, tips and tricks.

Text formatting – Bold, Italics, Strikethrough

Let’s start with something very basic and you might even already know this one – text formatting in WhatsApp. You can format the text in WhatsApp by adding symbols in the beginning and end of words. To write words in bold, simply place them between two asterisks – *word*. Similarly for italics use underscore – _italics_, for strikethrough add tildes – ~strikethrough~. You can even combine these formatting options – _*bolditalics*_.

This is not all. You can also use typewriter font by using ` symbol three times – “`typewriter“`.

Broadcast lists – Send the same message to multiple people at once

With the broadcast list feature on Whatsapp, you can send the same message to several of your contacts at once. These lists are saved lists of contacts, which can be used anytime you want to share the same message to multiple recipients.

To create and use broadcast lists – select new broadcast > select contacts > ok selection and new chat window will open. Once you have created a list, you can send messages to these contacts at once whenever you want. The list contacts will get these as normal messages. They will not know that this was a broadcast message or see other people’s replies.

Share documents using Google Drive

You can also share documents directly from Google Drive to your WhatsApp contacts. To use, select the pin icon next to compose window and choose the source of the document and voila.

Stop automatically saving of images and videos

If you are tired of random images and videos from WhatsApp groups or your contacts automatically appearing in your media library, you can go to Settings > Data Usage > de-select the options in media auto-download.

WhatsApp on your computer

Using WhatsApp on your computer is now easier than ever. You can use it via WhatsApp Web on a browser (https://web.whatsapp.com/) or by downloading WhatsApp desktop client. Setting up both the browser version and desktop client is fairly easy. But to use the app on your computer, both your computer and phone will need to have constant data access.

Homescreen shortcuts to WhatsApp chats

If you use WhatsApp to chat with one contact a lot, you can make a homescreen shortcut to the chat conversation with that contact. Just to go the three dots options menu while you have the chat window open with that person > more > select add shortcut.

An icon with the profile picture and name of that contact will then appear on the homescreen. If you tap that icon, you will immediately enter that WhatsApp chat window with that contact. You can add shortcuts for both individual contacts as well as groups.

Transfer files between your phone and computer

This is not a feature WhatsApp intended to provide, but using WhatsApp web you can transfer files between your phone and computer by sending them to yourself. For this, you will first need to create a group with one contact and then remove that contact from the group. After this, you will be the only person in that group. Now you can send files in that group, which will be accessible on both your computer via WhatsApp web and phone using the normal app. Download and save these files and you are done. You will however be able to only transfer files under 64MB.

Send messages using Google Assistant

Love voice commands, you can use Google Assistant to send WhatsApp messages. Just activate Google Assistant by saying ‘Ok Google’ and follow up with ‘Send a message to <Contact Name> on WhatsApp.’

Custom notifications for specific contacts

Not every contact you communicate with on WhatsApp is equal or as important as the others. To know when a specific contact is messaging you, you can setup custom notifications. You can choose specific notification tones, whether your phone vibrates or you get a popup alert. To add a custom notification, go to chats > specific chat > tap on contact name at top > Custom Notifications.

You can do the same with groups as well.

Bookmark important messages

Like some contacts, some messages are also important than others. You can bookmark these messages (or as WhatsApp says ‘star’ them) for quick access in the future. Long press on a particular message and select star in the menu that has appeared on the top. You can also use ‘i’ option in this menu to get more information about that message. .

These are just a few of WhatsApp tips and tricks you can use to enhance your experience. Feel free to share more in the comments section.